St. Mary’s Church, Berlin

St. Mary's Church, Berlin tickets: which one to buy

The Marienkirche, St Mary's Church, stands on the open square between Alexanderplatz and the Red Town Hall in the Mitte district of Berlin, Germany, at the foot of the TV Tower, and entry is free. It is one of the oldest churches in Berlin, a Protestant church still in use, and its medieval brick walls look small and surprising beside the modern towers of the former East Berlin centre. The church is a short walk from the Alexanderplatz station and from Museum Island, where the Pergamon Museum, the Neues Museum and the Berlin Cathedral stand.

Visitors often combine it with the TV Tower, the Neptune Fountain, the Nikolaiviertel, Berlin's reconstructed old quarter with the Nikolaikirche, and the Humboldt Forum. The church is active, with services, concerts and a congregation, and visiting pauses during worship. Guided tours are offered on certain days, and the church's volunteers answer questions. The church is a quiet refuge from the busy square, and its interior holds several treasures that many visitors do not expect. Organ recitals on the historic organ are held regularly, sometimes at lunchtime.

Visiting St. Mary's Church, Berlin: what to see

The church was built in the second half of the thirteenth century, in the new town that grew beside the older settlement of Cölln, and it was first mentioned in 1294. It was rebuilt in the fourteenth century after a fire, as a brick Gothic hall church, and its tower was completed in the fifteenth century, with an upper section designed by Carl Gotthard Langhans, architect of the Brandenburg Gate, added in 1790 in a mixture of neo-Gothic and classical forms. The church survived the Second World War with damage, and it was restored; the old streets around it were cleared during the rebuilding of East Berlin, leaving it standing alone.

In the tower hall is the Danse Macabre, a medieval wall painting from around 1485, more than twenty metres long, showing Death leading people of every rank, from the pope and emperor to peasants, in a dance, with verses in Low German; it was rediscovered under whitewash in the nineteenth century. The marble pulpit, carved by Andreas Schlüter in 1703, is decorated with figures and reliefs. The baroque organ was built by Joachim Wagner between 1720 and 1722, and it has been restored to its historic sound, making it a favourite instrument for baroque music. The church also holds a bronze baptismal font from 1437, epitaphs and medieval paintings.

St. Mary's Church, Berlin opening hours and the best time to go

The church is open daily, with visiting restricted during services and events. Berlin is lively all year, and summer is the most pleasant season for exploring the area around Alexanderplatz. The Christmas market beside the Red Town Hall, with a Ferris wheel and skating rink, fills the square in December. The Danse Macabre is protected by glass, and the tower hall is dim, so allow time for your eyes to adjust. Allow about half an hour for the church, and go up the TV Tower afterwards.